they grew together, and omaha annexed the city of south omaha and it was all one city at that point.t was called porkopolis. by the 1950's the stockyards employed triggered 52 400 people and would -- three to 52 ford are people. we had all kinds of industry associated with the stockyards that literally seem to bloom overnight. so that is the magic city. we had a lot of immigrants groups coming -- german, irish czech, pole --everyone was coming here to work. it was a good living. you had everything you needed. they made sure that there were amenities and south omaha, and pretty much, you would work in the stockyards in some capacity. we had about 20,000 animals a day at the height. each different type of animal, hogs cattle, sheep, they are the only ones that were processing meat. they were built in the 1890's and they were becoming out updates. then the industry takes a different turn. the stockyards are unfortunately, not there. the only piece that is still prevalent is the -- it was pretty much a mini city when it was conceived. it had everything from barbershops to -- ballrooms. i

next hour look at omaha, nebraska. you are watching american history tv, all we can, every weekend on c-span three. >> the union station operated until 1971. the last train left here may 2 and it sat vacant for two years and union pacific gifted it to the city to become a museum. we made the station our home and now it's a museum preserving the omaha history. this exhibit focuses on the omaha livestock industry of very important industry for south omaha as a city and eventually for omaha as a whole. >> cattle marketing centers are strategically located in all must -- and omaha serves a large western area. it's holding pens of handle more than 100 million cattle since its founding over 80 years ago. there is hell lives jock -- here is the livestock train, right on time3. . >> the livestock industry starts in the 1870's as a fattening station, a place for cattle to get fed, they hit a feeding station before they go to a stockyard to be slaughtered. eventually, that turns into the stockyards as we know, the omaha stockyar

omaha had a reputation in the african-american community in omaha and the united states is a city whenou came in if you are black you needed to keep your head down and be aware that you weren't going to be served in restaurants and would be able to stay in hotels and there was like they were in many cities in the country this informal industry of staying in homes in the black community eating in restaurants in the black community even if you are an african-american of as part of a band playing in the white hotel or part of it play that was being put on in a mostly white attended theater. that's not a quote that omaha shares probably but it was known and that description of her mia hamm in the north was an apt description. the club started in 1947 by two gentlemen. one was a catholic priest who was a jesuit at creighton university which is a mile and half sell for where we are now. his name was john mark ii and the other founder was a gentleman named danny holland which is a gentleman who is my other. he was a 20-year-old cretan student and they met and talked about what they called at

and omaha have a reputation in the african-american community in omaha and into united states as a city in wendie king and if you were black you needed to keep your head down and you need to be a with you what i'm going to be served in restaurants and you weren't going to be weren't going to go to stay in hotels, and that there was like the were in many cities around the country, there was this informal industry of staying in homes and the black community competing at the restaurants in the black community even if you are an african-american that was part of a band this point in a white hotel or a play being put on in a mostly white theater at that quote, michael omaha shares proudly but it is a quote i found repeated that it was known in the description of birmingham in the north was an apt description if you are an african-american in the country. the omaha de porres club start in 1957 by two gentlemen, one was a catholic priest, a jesuit at creighton university. his name was john markham near the founder of the de porres club was a gentleman named jenny holland which is a gentleman w

and omaha had a reputation in the african-american community and omaha and in the united states as a city that when you came in if you are black needed to keep your head down and be aware that you are going to be served in restaurants, be restaurants, be able to stay in hotels and that there was this informal industry is staying in homes in the black community, eating at the restaurants. even if you were an african-american knows part of the band playing in the white hotel a part of the play being put on in a mostly white attended theater. that is not a quote that omaha shares proudly, but it is one that i found repeated it was known and that description was an apt one if you are african-american. they started in 1947 by two gentlemen. one was a catholic priest a jesuit guatemalan a half south a half south of where we are now. the other founder was a gentleman is actually my father a 20 -year-old student and she met and talked about social justice commanded his son to start a group to talk about it. my it. my dad said he remembers thinking he had joined a prayer group. there are goin

so if you are not likely to greet the north omaha star or you could read the omaha guide you did knowand people ask me what was the committee's response? the community's response was nonexistent because there was nothing to respond to. the main newspaper wouldn't carry it. in 1954 there was a television program that carried an episode the talked about the de porres club and it would've been the first time if you were white in omagh you would've been like who are these people? you never would've heard of them. so that's into pushing and not getting any response did wear down. the de porres club has been in the fall of 1954. the montgomery bus boycott would take place in a cheaper cafÉ if they just stuck to find out if they might have caught that draft and then what other movements come part of nation movement. it came down to a just ran out of steam. they were tired. the support wasn't there. the membership was, it had and leadership, my dad in the president all seven years. he had married the club secretary in 1953. their first child was expected in october of 1954 which by coincidenc

they didn't have as much omaha coverage. but when she and her husband divorced in 1943 and she took over the newspaper and he left the city she put her mark on it. it became about the family and making people in the black community prominent. it wasn't news that was reported in the mainstream newspaper which unfortunately if you didn't know better you would not realize there was a black community other than the omaha star reporting about it. she had a lot of things going on in omaha to address. in the '30s housing was probably the biggest thing. the government came in during the great depression and built projects. her husband was one of the people actually registering people for apartments in those projects. and at first she was excited and in the newspaper she said we need to move on this this is fantastic, the black community is going to be equal to the white community for housing. and her main goal in the newspaper, even today, she has been gone for over 20 years but to always write positive news. she said i want to pres

c-span3 is featuring omaha nebraska. chartered in 1862, union pacific along with the central pacific railroad were tasked with building the route from omaha to sacramento, california. the railroad was completed in 1869. our fox communication cable partners work with city tours staff when we travel to omaha to explore the city's rich history. learn more about omaha all weekend here on american history tv. >> it was established as the headquarters of the department. all the indian wars were fought out of this place. even little bighorn, cheyenne outbreak, wounded knee and 1890. -- in 1890. >> the museum is named for general crook. the house was named after him because he was the first general who lived here. there was started in 18 78th and fascinating 79. -- it was started in 18 78t78, and finished in 1879. the buildings would be brick rather then wooden structures. this is the first brick structure built on the fort. one of the things the fort is known for his holden standing there. standing bear was the leader of a smal

join us and cox communications weekend as we learn about the history and literary life of omaha, nebraska, where the deporus club was one of the groups fighting for racial equality. >> omaha had a reputation in omaha and in the united states as a city that when you came in if you were black, you needed to keep your head down and you needed to be aware that you weren't going to be served in restaurants and you weren't going to be able to stay in hotels. when the bdeboris clubs began their -- they used the term social justice because civil rights wasn't pars of the national lexicon at that time. but the idea that civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states, that they were kind of operating in a vacuum. i always like to say that they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups that were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific and how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> the union pacific is the -- one

room of union station here in omaha, nebraska.s an art deco building built in 1931. it was the second union station built by union pacific. the architects wanted to make a statement about what the railroad was. in his mind, it was strength masculinity and permanence. that's what he wanted this building to embody. omaha started out as a frontier town typical frontier time. citizens from council bluff decided they wanted to found the city on this side of the river. everybody knew there was going to be a transcontinental railroad. they didn't know where. they said we have better chance of having the railroad if we have a city on the opposite of the river already established ready to go. and that's where they'll build the railroad. it works. council bluffs didn't think omaha would get bigger than counsel bluffs. that was the founding city. but cities on the west side of the river tend to develop greater because it's easier to move west. >> union pacific is one of the premier railroad companies of america. it was founded in 1862 with t

nebraska. >> omaha had a reputation in the african-american community in omaha and the united states you came in if you were black you needed to keep your head down and be aware that you were not going to be served in restaurants and would not be able to stay in hotels. the idea and term of civil rights was not part of the national lexicon at that time. the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united eights. they-- united states. they were not the support groups or prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific and how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> >> union pacific is one of the first railroad companies. it combines several railroad companies to make union pacific. then, they were charge with the transcontinental railroad that would connect the east and west coast. they started here, moving west. central pacific started on the west coast and was moving east. they met up in omaha. that is what propels us even farther. we b

the beef industry and omaha is still going strong. we have companies that still ship leave around the world and people still of associate omaha with the. you still want to get an omaha steak when you visit and things like that. >> find out where the c-span cities tour is going next online at www.c-span.org/cities tour. you are watching american history tv all weekend, every weekend on c-span three. >> each week on american history tv's american artifacts take you to museums and historic places. up next in the second of the museum of the american revolution, we visit the highland collection. >> i am scott stevenson. i'm in charge of the team developing exhibitions and programs that will be in the new museum in philadelphia. this is about a century or fish a century old print we have been working on the project since five years. we expect to open in 2017. we want a place to show up these wonderful and amazing original object from the revolutionary era. for a general view where looking at firearms, they tend to look alike that this is a

combating discrimination against jews in omaha. he had raised money to get jews out of europe into sweden right before world war ii. he spent a great deal of his life in the clothing business, but by being very active in social issues. my father was a b 26 bomber on d-day, built in my district. he flew on d-day. he was a business guy. my mother was just a wonderful woman. they were a lot of fun. very active in the community. instill a lot of values of community involvement into me. my brother is a judge, i have another brother that owns a bookstore and has for 30-40 years. >> why did you first decided to run for state legislature? representative ashford: that's a good question. i enjoyed policy and politics very much. i got involved in bob kerrey's 1982 gubernatorial and pain in a nebraska. -- gubernatorial campaign in nebraska. he was a good friend of mine. i think it was really 1986 -- my parents and grandparents involvement in the community i saw an opportunity to give back and contribute. most everybody in omaha does this, but

against jews in omaha. he actually raised money to get jews out of europe into sweden right before world war ii, so he spent a great deal of his life in the clothing business. but being very active and social . my father flew a bomber. he flew on d-day, plus 60 missions. he was a business guy. they are very active in the community and still a lot of values in the community involvement to me. my little brother is a judge and my other brother is -- has a bookstore. >> why did you decide to write for the legislature? representative ashford: that is a great question. i stole bob carries gubernatorial campaign in nebraska. my mother told me i was too nice to be in politics so i never thought i would run for office. i think it was my parents and grandparents involvement in the community. i saw an opportunity to get back or contribute. most everybody in omaha does this. i thought governance was what i could do to give back in a similar fashion to what my family had done as long as we had been in nebraska. that is

civil justice, the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states, that they were operating in a vacuum. i like to say they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups. there were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific, and how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> union pacific is one of the premiere railroad companies of america. it was founded in 1862 with the pacific railway act signed into law by abraham lincoln. so it combined several railroad companies to make union pacific and then they were charged with building the transc

you can do a better job band he said i thank you can do it it was nothing exciting but someone in omaha heard about it and he came up to ask her husband if they would relocate to work at his newspaper. after a year and a half day opened up the lost art. >> but less than 20 years before but she knew it to was of a racist town and so she knew what she was going to be facing. she realized her strength was people skills. some of the essential they to be pretty radical the fbi was watching him there were sure the elements going into the newspapers said they were very political. there was not a lot of family our reach more positive news but this is the wing on nationally there was not much omaha coverage but when they divorced in 1943, she took over the newspaper that he left to the city but then it is all about family to make the people prominent but if you did not know better you would not realize there is the black community other than the omaha star reporting about it. there were a lot of things to address fed and 30's was probably housing the government caved in during the great depressi

where one of america's first advocacy group fighting for racial equality. >> they had a reputation in omaha and in the united states as a city that if you came in and were black, you needed to keep your head down and you needed to be aware you weren't going to be served in restaurants and hotels. when the depor res club began, they used the term civil justice, the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states, that they were operating in a vacuum. i like to say they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups. there were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific, and how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> union pacific is one of the premiere railroad companies of america. it was founded in 1862 with the pacific railway act signed into law by abraham lincoln. so it combined several railroad companies to make union pacific and then they were charged with building the transcontinental railroad con

they didn't think that omaha would get bigger. it was the founding city.s on the west side of the river tend to develop greater because it's easier to move west. union pacific is the -- one of the premier railwood companies of america. it was founded in 162 with the pacific railway act signed into law by abraham lincoln. so it combines several railwood companies to make union pacific and then they were charged with building the transcontinental railwood to connect the east and west coast. so they started here moving west and central pacific started on the west coast and was moving east. they met up in utah. that's really what propels us even farther. we become that point of moving west. one of the gateways to the west. so that's what the railwood did. this facility came about as the second union station to have helped the rail travel, all the passengers coming through omaha, that the first union station had reached capacity. so they needed a new modern station. this was heralded as a step forward. it was a brand new art deco building different style. the f

. >> next, a look at a recent visit to omaha, nebraska. you're watching american history tv, all weekend, every weekend on c-span3. >> fort omaha was established in the 1870's. it was established -- all of the indian wars in this region were directed from here and it would have been instrumental in even little bighorn, toward the end of that. the cheyenne outbreak. >> i am at the general william crook house museum. it was named for general crook. the house is named after him because he was the first general who lived in the home. he started in 1878 and finished in 1879. the house is celebrating its 136 anniversary this year. when they deemed it was going to be a permanent fort, part of the rule was they would start to build the homes -- the buildings would be brick rather than wooden structures. this was the first brick structure built on the fort, and after that they were built along the same type of victorian italianate style. one of the things the fort is known for is holding standing bear during the standing bear trial he was held here

next, a recent visit to omaha, nebraska. america history tv, all we can, every weekend on c-span3. ♪ >> we are in the command post of the strategic air command 10 mile south of omaha, nebraska. from this location, some for stories underground, the endless activities are precisely monitored and controlled every second of every day. the controllers who man this facility provides a link between the president through the joint chiefs of staff and the commander-in-chief of the strategic air command, and the link between the sac commander and the strongest and most ready military force ever conceived. >> here at the strategic airspace museum, our museum -- purpose is to commemorate the history and heritage of strategic air command and its legacy going back to world war ii, but also to inspire and educate our community and the next and ration about space science, technology, engineering, and math. omaha's early's connection goes all the way back into the late 1800s as the calvary and the u.s. army developed for crook as an outpost

they met up in omaha. that is what propels us even farther. we become that point of moving west, one of the gateways to the west. see all of our programs from omaha today at noon eastern. >> next, a journalist and two former white house staffers discuss the impact of second terms on presidential leadership and effectiveness. the panel suggests that presidents often change their focus to foreign policy welding news media is already looking ahead to the next president. this is about an hour and 20 minutes. >> think you to the foundation. we have had a great partnership. this is a series where we look at leadership not in the abstract, but at a particular institution. we have the majority leader from the senate, senators lott and daschle. we have also looked at congressional leadership and foreign policy. we have a panel of people who are extremely knowledgeable who have served with and encountered multiple presidents we can talk about today. let me say a few things quickly and then introduce our panel. we put together a book about the second ter

they met up in omaha. that is what propels is even farther.e become that point of moving west, one of the gateways to the west. >> see all of our programs on omaha today. susan swain: our guest on "newsmakers" is matt schlapp. he is the chair of the american conservative union. c-span viewers will be mostly familiar with the organization from the annual cpac convention that we have been introducing for years. let me introduce our two reporters who will be questioning him. sean sullivan is at "the washington post." pete schroeder is at "the hill." sean, i think you are at first. sean sullivan: thank you, mr. chairman. matt schlapp: matt. sean sullivan: if you like. i want to move to a candidate who is making a lot of news this week, donald trump. he said some pretty controversial things about mexican immigrants. he said they bring drugs, crime, and rapists. he has actuallly got himself in some problems with his business dealings because of it. do you agree or disagree with his comments? do you think they were harmful to the republican race and

civil justice, the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states, that they were operating in a vacuum. i like to say they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups. there were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific, and how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> union pacific is one of the premiere railroad companies of america. it was founded in 1862 with the pacific railway act signed into law by abraham lincoln. so it combined several railroad companies to make union pacific and then they were charged with building the transcontinental railroad connecting the east and west coasts. so they started here was moving west and central pacific started on the west coast and was moving east. and they met up in utah. and that's really what propels us even farther. we become that point of moving west one of the gateways to the west. >> see all of our programs from omaha, saturday at noon even on c-s

learn more about omaha and other stops on our tours at c-span.org/citiestour. you are watching "american history tv" all weekend every weekend on c-span3. >> each week american history tvs american artifacts takes you to museums and historic places. next we travel to your town virginia to witness the tall sailing ship hermione. it was a replica of the military frigate that carried general marquis de lafayette in 1780 with a message from king louis xvi. promising thousands of french soldiers and a large naval force to help in the revolutionary war. the original hermione participated in the siege of yorktown in 1781. the journey was the beginning of a trip up the east coast of the u.s. with stops in major cities along the way. over the next hour, we will see remarks from american and french government representatives interviews with crew members and we will observe scenes and music from the arrival ceremony. when we arrived on june 5, hermione was just emerging from the fog. [cannon fire] [cannon fire] [cannon fire] [cannon fire] [cheering] [cannon fire] ["la mar

. >> throughout the weekend american history tv is featuring omaha, nebraska. our city to her staff traveled there to learn about rich history. learn about stops on the tour. you are watching american history tv, all weekend every weekend on c-span3. >> michael kaufman the author of "american brutus." he talks about lincoln's legacy in the united states and around the world and john wilkes booth's motives for killing the president and how security has changed. mr. kauffman also talks about how political parties have used the memory of lincoln. >> let me introduce our next speaker. michael kauffman is one of the leading historians of the lincoln assassination. he is author of "american brutus: john wilkes booth and lincoln conspiracies," which was named by "the new york times" and "the washington post" as one of the best nonfiction books of 2004. there are copies of the paperback version on the registration table that you can purchase after our program is concluded. his other works include "in the footsteps of an assassin" and a modern edition of "memoirs of a l

c-span3 is featuring omaha nebraska. chartered in 1862, union pacific along with the central pacific railroad were tasked with building the route from omaha to sacramento, california. the railroad was completed in 1869. our fox communication cable partners work with city tours staff when we travel to omaha to explore the city's rich history. learn more about omaha all weekend here on american history tv. >> it was established as the headquarters of

but the idea that civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states, that they were kind of operating in a vacuum. i always like to say that they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups that were not the prior

. >> during booktv's recent visit to omaha, nebraska, we visited john price who argues that the tall prairie deserves to be protected much like the forests and mountain ranges in "the tallgrass prairie reader"." >> the prairie hasn't had as many sort of literary accounts in literature unfortunately because part of that is the prairie, the tall grass prairie was destroyed the majority, 90% was destroyed so quickly between 1830-1900. so it didn't give authors an nature writers a chance really to appreciate it and to write about it in the same sense that john muir out in a serial mouse had a chance to appreciate and write about that wilderness. temporary wilderness was pretty much gone by the turn-of-the-century. it does still exist in the imagination of people and that was, i should say in the very earliest sort of treatments literary treatments of this region and exploration literature, it was very much a presence like in the journals of lewis and clark describes this area, filled with wildlife in beauty and diversity. and also george kaplan was an artist and export came to this regio

where one of america's first advocacy group fighting for racial equality. >> they had a reputation in omaha and in the united states as a city that if you came in and were black, you needed to keep your

we recently traveled to omaha to explore the city's rich history. learn more about omaha all weekend on american history tv. >> this is the gerald r ford website. gerald ford was the 30th president of the united states -- 38th president of the united states and he was born here. when he was born here he was born as leslie king. july 13, 1914. he stated in for about two weeks. gerald ford's mother and father did not really get along. this was evident from the beginning, apparently. and so they separated. and they moved from here to around the chicago area and then to michigan. he took his adopted father's name, gerald r ford, and that is how we know them today. i think it is very interesting that someone from a single-parent family was able to go on to be president of the united states. this was a vacant lot when gerald ford became president. the republican community supporters in omaha, james m paxton, saw the site, nothing more than a lot, and thought it was not a place the fitting a president. he decided to -- the fitting of president -- befitting

that omaha's problems, omaha is a big city really in a relative sense and that their problems are not partisan problems. i chose to become a democrat primary because some of the social issues that i've been engaged in for many years, he writes issues that i had worked on immigration issues, worked on many years in the legislature. issues that the democratic party had a more positive policy response to you. and so i didn't change parties with any idea of running again or anything. i just felt more comfortable and in what other would be ending my career in that regard. >> host: your first year in congress, finish this sense. estate of congress today in the house of representatives specifically is what? >> guest: sad. i'm very sad about it. i can go as i say from a nonpartisan sort of place by constitution. it's surprising to see all the dysfunction that's built around partisan politics. maybe i expected that but sort of the inability to deal with the great issues of our time. in nebraska we have dealt with immigration. as best we could. we've dealt with some of the social issues that ev

>>'s yellow bar programs from omaha all day on c-span2 book tv and american history tv on c-span3. >> c-span gives you the best access to congress. live coverage of the u.s. house, congressional hearings, and news conferences bringing you the events that shape public policy. every morning "washington journal" with elected officials, policymakers journalists and/or comments by phone facebook, twitter. c-span -- brought to you as a public service by your local cable or satellite provider. >> first lady michelle obama spoke this week about achievements in career and technical education, part of her reach higher initiative which encourages students to further their education beyond high school. she was introduced by jacob smith, vice president of finance or the

, and one of the first advocacy groups fighting for racial equality. >> omaha had a reputation amongthe african-american community as a city that when you came in if you were black, you needed to keep your head down and be aware that you were not going to be served in restaurants and stay in hotels. when the to forest club -- when the de porres club -- in fact, they use the term national justice because civil rights was not even in the lexicon at that time -- the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states that they were kind of operating in a vacuum. i always say they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups. there were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. announcer: we look back at the union pacific and how the construction of union station health omaha's economy. >> union pacific is one of the premier railroad companies of america. it was founded in 1862 with the pacific railway act signed into law by abraham lincoln. it combined severa

challenge racial discrimination and segregation simic how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> a premiere railroad company of america with the pacific railway act signed into law by abraham lincoln it combined several companies to make union pacific said they were charged with building the transcontinental railroad to connect the east and west coast the started here moving west central pacific started on the west coast moving east and they met in utah and that is what propels us even farther as we become that .1 of the keyways to the west >> what is publishers marketplace? >> information and industry resources for the book publishing industry. reproduce students letters five times a week ganz publishers lunch that goes upwards of 40,000 subscribers we also have a database for hack for information on the book publishing industry publishers marketplace is the place to go. >> what do you cover? >>guest: we are at book expo american i am looking for news or anything that strikes me or a my team that is newsworthy like today james patterson said he is launching a childre

i wanted to send a message that omaha's problems are not partisan problems.

join us in this week and as we learned about the history and literary life of omaha nebraska where the club was one of america's first advocacy groups fighting for racial equality. >> omaha had a reputation in the african-american community, in omaha and in the united states as a city as when he came and if you were black, you needed to keep your head down and you need to be aware that you are not going to be served in restaurants and you would not be able to stay in hotels. when the club began their operation, the idea and the term civil rights was not but they used civil justice because civil rights was not part of the concept at that time but the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states that they were kind of operating in a vacuum. i like to say they were operating without a net. they were not support groups there were not prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific and how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> unio

join us and cox communications this weekend as we learn about the history and lit rary life of omaha, nebraska where the club was one of the first advocacy groups fighting for racial kwlts. >> they had a reputation as a city that when you came in if you were black, you needed to keep your head down and you needed to be aware that you weren't going to be served in restaurants. you weren't going to be able to stay in hotels. and when the de porres club began their operation, the term civil rights -- they used the term social justice because civil rights wasn't part of the national lexicon at that time. the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater city of omaha or the united states that they were operating in a vacuum. they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups that were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific and how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> union pacific is one of

join us as we learn about the history and literary life of omaha nebraska where they were one of theighting for racial equality. >> they had a reputation in omaha and the united states that you needed to be aware you weren't going to be able to be in restaurants. and when they began their operation the idea of -- in fact the term civil rights -- they used the term social justice because civil rights wasn't part of the national lexicon at that time that the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha that they were operating in a vacuum. there were not support groups. there were not the prior experiences to challenge racial discrimination. >> u pacific is one of the premiere railroad companies of america. it was founded in 1862 with the pacific railway act signed into law by abraham lincoln. they combined several companies and they were charged with building the transcontinental railroad. so they started here and moving west and central pacific started on the west coast and moving east and they met up in utah. that's what propels us even far

combating discrimination against jews in omaha.ed money to get jews out of europe into sweden right before world war ii. he spent a great deal of his life in the clothing business, but by being very active in social issues. my father was a b 26 bomber on d-day, built in my district. he flew on d-day. he was a business guy. my mother was just a wonderful woman. they were a lot of fun. very active in the community. instill a lot of values of community involvement into me. my brother is a judge, i have another brother that owns a bookstore and has for 30-40 years. >> why did you first decided to run for state legislature? representative ashford: that's a good question. i enjoyed policy and politics very much. i got involved in bob kerrey's 1982 gubernatorial and pain in a nebraska. -- gubernatorial campaign in nebraska. he was a good friend of mine. i think it was really 1986 -- my parents and grandparents involvement in the community, i saw an opportunity to give back and contribute. most everybody in omaha does this, but i thought g

that is the response that many people had in omaha. who are they and what do they want and why are they here? because almost any other location in the united states that would have been the response that this is another one of those groups because there wasn't. to me one of the most important parts of the pioneering effort in such an unlikely place. >> welcome to the 31st printer's row lit best i will give a quick thank-you to our sponsors. today's program is being aired live on c-span2 booktv. at the end of the presentation we will take questions from the audience. so please line up by the microphone so the home of viewing audience can hear your question. keep the spirit going all year round with a subscription to the journal the premium book section fiction series and membership program also please download the trip books as well as access to the digital book store we encourage everyone to post photographs and messages on twitter and instagram and facebook. before we begin please turn off any cell phones and the flash on your camera.

, join us in toxic medications this weekend as well we learn about the history of literary life of omaha nebraska where the de porres club is one of america's first advocacy groups fighting for racial equality. >> oma had a reputation in the african american command in omaha and the united states as a city that when you came in if you were black you needed needed to keep their have been engineered to be aware that you were going to be served in restaurants and you weren't going to be a stay in hotels. when the de porres club begins her operations the idea effect the term civil rights wasn't, they use the term civil justice because the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states, that they were kind of operating any thinking i would like to say that there operating without a net. they were not to support groups not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific that the construction and union station helped omaha's economy. >> the union pacific i

join us and cox communications this weekend as we learn about the history and literary life of omaha, nebraska where the deporres club was one of america's first advocacy groups. >> omaha had a reputation in the african-american community in omaha and the united states as a city if you came in if you were black, you needed to keep your head down and you needed to be aware you weren't going to be served in restaurants. you weren't going to be able to stay in hotels. when the de porres club began their operation, the idea of -- in fact the term civil rights wasn't even -- they used the term social justice because civil rights wasn't part of the national lexicon at that time. the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states, that they were kind of operating in a vacuum. i always like to say they are operating without a net. there were not those support groups there were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific and how the construction o

. >> next, a look at a recent visit to omaha, nebraska. you're watching american history tv, all weekend, every weekend on c-span3. >> fort omaha was established in the 1870's. it was established -- all of the indian wars in this region were directed from here and it would have been instrumental in even little bighorn, toward the end of that. the cheyenne outbreak. >> i am at the general william crook house museum. it was named for general crook. the house is named after him because he was the first general who lived in the home.

the idea was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states that they were operating in a vacuum. i say they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups. there were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union civic and how the construction of union station helped the economy. >> the union pacific was one of the premier railroad companies of america founded in 1862. it combines several railroad companies to make union pacific. they were charged with building the transcontinental railroad. they started here, was moving west and central pacific started on the west coast moving east and they met in utah. that is what propels us even further. we become that point of moving west. >>

against jewish and omaha.y actually raise money to get jewish out of europe into sweden before world war ii so he spent a great deal of his life in the clothing business that being very active on social issues. my father flew a b-26 bomber via plane that was built to my congressional district rated b-26 marauder bomber. he flew on d-day. he was a business guy. my mother, they are both gone and been gone for a while but they were a lot of fun. they were very active in the community and still do a lot of values in the community involvement and to me so -- and i have a brother is a judge in another brother who has a bookstore and has had for 30 or 40 years. >> host: why did you first decide to run? >> guest: that's a great question and you know i enjoy policy and i enjoy politics very much. i got involved with kerry, bob kerrey's 1982 gubernatorial campaign in nebraska. my mother always told me i was too nice to be impolitic so i never thought it run for office. i think it was really 1986. i think it was really m

club was one of america's first advocacy groups fighting for racial equality. >> omaha had a reputationin the united states as a city, that when you came in, if you are black, you needed to keep your head down and be aware you weren't going to be served in restaurants. you weren't going to be able to stay in hotels. when the do for his club began their operation, the idea that civil rights -- they used the term "social justice" the-- -- the idea of civil rights was so far removed. they were kind of operating in a vacuum. they were operating without a net. there were not those support groups. there were not the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific and the construction of the union station contributed to omaha's economy. >> union pacific is one of the premier railroad companies of america. it was founded in 1852. it combined several railroad companies to make union pacific and then they were charged with building the transcontinental rail world -- railroad that would connect the east and west coast. they

join us with cox communications this weekend as we learn about omaha, nebraska. when is the first advocacy groups fighting for equality. >> in omaha and the united states as the city is when you came and if you were black, you needed to keep your head down and be aware that he would not be served in restaurants or stay in hotels. when the forest club began their operation, civil rights wasn't even about. they used civil justice. the idea of civil rights was so far removed from the idea of the greater community of omaha or the united states that they were operating in a vacuum. they were operating without a net. there were not the groups, the prior experiences of other groups to challenge racial discrimination and segregation. >> we look back to the union pacific and how the construction of union station helped omaha's economy. >> it was founded in 1862 with the pacific railway act. it combined several railroad companies to make union pacific and then they were charged with building the transcontinental railroad that connected the east and west coasts. they starte